“Treasury Sanctions Officials and Targets Entities Supporting Russia’s Occupation of Crimea and Forcible Control of Eastern Ukraine,” Volker wrote on his Twitter.

Volker said that this is the first step presented in the form of sanctions that clearly recognizes the illegal annexation of Crimea and Donbas.

“The U.S. is leveraging new authorities to target Russian actors for serious human rights abuses in parts of Ukraine that the U.S. government has determined are forcibly occupied or otherwise controlled by the Russian government,” Volker wrote on Twitter.

“During my last trip to Ukraine, I visited Donbas, where I saw what challenges Ukraine and its people are facing. This is a very serious issue. Russia annexed one-fifth of their country. And we must never forget what happened,” Volker said.

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